Karl Lindner

Karl Lindner was the chairman of the Clybourne Park Improvement Association in Chicago, Illinois during the 1950s. He looked after block upkeep, special projects, and the new neighbors orientation committee; in 1959, he was sent to African-American woman Lena Younger's household to talk to the family about buying them out of moving into the neighborhood. The white residents of the neighborhood did not want any racial violence in their community, so they wanted to prevent any blacks from moving into the area. Lena's son Walter Lee Younger agreed to sell their new house in exchange for financial gain, which they could use to fund their family members Beneatha Younger and Travis Younger's educations, but, at the last minute, Walter decided against selling the house to Lindner, promising that the family would be good neighbors, despite facing an uncertain future.